It has been quite a long time since I posted here, but after a much longer hiatus from working in my shop than I ever dreamt I would have, I'm finally back to building bows. I still have a usable supply of Urac that has been in deep freeze for over ten years, but that won't last long for the number of bows I intend to build now that I'm semi-retired. My Unibond, which I have never used before, arrived yesterday and this morning I glued up some Osage scraps for riser material with some and glued up one with my old Urac to see how it handled after a long sleep in my freezer.

At a ratio of 7:1 by weight the Unibond seemed a little thin to me. Thinner than I'm accustomed to with Urac, anyway. What ratio do you fellows using Unibond prefer? Is the shelf-life still an issue like it was a decade ago?

I'd contact the folks at Nelson Paint company that makes the stuff. I thought the newer Unibond 800  version was pretty much the same stuff.

thanks, but Nelson does not make Unibond. I have read all the manufacturers mixing recommendations, but this is veneer glue, not "bow glue". My test pieces turned out fine, so I'll probably just stay with 7:1 and get used to new glue after 25 years of using the same thing.   

https://nelsonpaint.com/unibond-800-urea-adhesive-quart/

Here is more info on it.

What's that stuff that Roy uses 🤔

Roy told me he order from a firm named Vacuum Pressing System.Inc. It comes with a powdered hardener. I bought some from them and could not make it work. May be what I do when testing a new to me glue is an overkill, but this is how I test. I glue up different species of wood, some machine planed, some fine sanded and some course sanded and with different pressing force. When cured I place the pieces in a vice and with a hammer knock them apart. They all broke in the glueline with just a little or no wood tearout. On soft woods like spruce it was a little better. Now perhaps if I had just glued up a laminated wood bow it would have been okay, and that my way of testing is just an overkill?

Roy use a Thumb Plane Blade.
He sent me a ready to glue up Bamboo strip 1 time

I tried that also, forgot to mention. Also tried with and without curing in a heat box.

Quote from: Buemaker on January 23, 2024, 05:23:11 PM
I tried that also, forgot to mention. Also tried with and without curing in a heat box.